Overview
- A state Environmental Conservation Officer found a crowd around a man showing two snakes at the Riegelmann Boardwalk and identified the larger animal as a Burmese python, which led to a ticket for illegal possession.
- The seizure traces back to July 12 when the officer observed about a dozen people, including small children, gathered near the man handling the snakes.
- Officials transferred the confiscated Burmese python to the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for care and did not release the owner’s name or the snake’s measurements.
- The DEC reiterated that Burmese pythons are classified as dangerous and illegal in New York because they can harm people and, if released, severely damage native wildlife populations.
- Reports say the man also had a ball python draped around his neck but authorities have not said what became of that snake; the incident fits a pattern of exotic-animal displays and occasional seizures on the Coney Island boardwalk.